Inside the house, the candlelight extinguished, plunging the room into darkness.
"Who's there!"
Wen Zhixing instinctively dodged. However, as a thought crossed his mind, he forcefully controlled his body.
Something wasn't right.
In the moonlight, he saw the figure of the person who approached, shrouded in a black veil, with a graceful silhouette.
Is this someone from the Wonderous Palace, perhaps testing me?
Wen Zhixing's mind raced, and he immediately gave up resisting. He couldn't expose his true realm. The assailant's aura felt familiar, yet due to the suddenness of the incident, he hadn't identified who it was.
Accompanied by a muffled sound, Wen Zhixing's eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
Collect the fragments, collect!
But before passing out, Wen Zhixing did not forget to collect the Fortune Fragments. He collected them twice in succession.
The assailant breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and hoisted Wen Zhixing onto their shoulder.
Soon, the figure disappeared into the vast night.
Silently, Wen Zhixing was easily abducted.
No one knew what had happened.
The assailant was, of course, Ning Shan. Previously, Yun Xinyue had warned her not to meddle with Wen Zhixing. That's why she chose to act in the shadows; after all, it was not a good time to stir up trouble.
"Master, I have brought him back."
Not long after, Ning Shan returned to the secret chamber, still carrying Wen Zhixing.
"Oh?" Feng Ruoli opened her eyes, glanced at the unconscious Wen Zhixing, and said, "Put him down."
"Yes, Master."
Ning Shan, ever dutiful, gently laid him on the ground. Without Feng Ruoli needing to say more, she silently stepped back; she was tactful.
Once Ning Shan left, Feng Ruoli rose and approached Wen Zhixing. Her beautiful eyes surveyed him intently.
Asleep, Wen Zhixing's brows furrowed slightly, his thick, long eyelashes trembling. While not a reincarnated celestial, he was indeed strikingly handsome.
Feng Ruoli leaned down, her hand caressing his pronounced nose before sliding downwards to his tightly closed lips. They felt soft and warm to the touch.
"Wen Zhixing... not bad looking at all..." Feng Ruoli whispered, her hand continuing its descent. Soon, her fingertips felt the heat of his skin. Her jade-smooth fingers traced lightly across his chest, sending a tingling current throughout his body.
Feng Ruoli's hands were ice-cold, causing the unconscious Wen Zhixing to shudder involuntarily.
"Let's see just how special the Constitution is of the man who caught my junior sister's eye." A smile curled Feng Ruoli's lips as she lightly bit them.
...
Wen Zhixing slowly regained consciousness.
As his vision cleared, he saw the silhouette above him, and his body instinctively jolted. Just as he was about to react, he forcefully stopped himself.
What's going on! Wen Zhixing's pupils quivered.
The next moment, he realized that the essence energy within his body was rapidly depleting.
I'm being subjected to essence absorption again. Wen Zhixing realized.
He found the situation somewhat absurd. Previously, when he underwent essence absorption, he had at least been aware of it. But this time, someone had actually used such methods on him while he was unconscious. For a moment, he even wanted to resist, but ultimately, Wen Zhixing held back.
It's not like I'm losing out anyway. It only seems like a loss on the surface, but as long as [Revival of the Withered Tree] triggers, it's a massive gain! One must endure the harshest difficulties to rise above others.
Wen Zhixing maintained an optimistic mindset.
But... who is this person? Wen Zhixing frowned slightly, starting to wonder if his life was in danger. After all, not everyone would leave him with a breath of life.
[Her expression is pleasant, her movements gentle. The speed of her essence energy absorption is steady and stable. She should not put you to death.]
Even though this prompt panel appeared, it wasn't enough to completely put Wen Zhixing's mind at ease.
[Gray Fortune Fragment (1/1) collected. No synthesis required. Activate?]
...
Two more prompt panels popped up in succession. Wen Zhixing then remembered he had indeed collected that person's Fortune Fragment when he was abducted.
Activate.
[Gray Fortune activated. You can obtain the following fortunes:]
[One: Obtain 1 Fortune Point.]
[Two: Obtain Ning Shan's fortune.]
---
Ning Shan! Wen Zhixing was startled by this reward. The one who abducted me was actually Ning Shan? Then the person above me... could it be... Feng Ruoli!
Wen Zhixing sneaked a few glances. He had once caught a distant glimpse of Feng Ruoli, and now, looking again, she seemed more and more familiar.
Now, everything made sense.
Feng Ruoli naturally sensed Wen Zhixing stirring beneath her.
But what does it matter if he has awakened? Right now, I only want to absorb Wen Zhixing's pure Yang essence energy. So nourishing. Truly nourishing. No wonder my junior sister values Wen Zhixing so much.
...
Good. I can use this opportunity to eliminate the hidden dangers within my body as well. Wen Zhixing thought no more about it and began to claim his fortune rewards.
Choose option one.
He directly chose the Fortune Point reward.
[Fortune Point +1.]
Did I only collect one Fortune Fragment back then? Wen Zhixing was slightly puzzled, wondering why he could only activate one fortune. He immediately opened his panel to check.
...
[Name: Wen Zhixing]
[Life-span: 17/83]
[Constitution: Revival of the Withered Tree (Blazing Gold)]
[Talent: Extraordinarily Intelligent (White)]
[Cultivation Skill: Tai Chi Health-Preserving Skill (Grey)]
[Secret Skill: Blood Escape Skill (White), Calming Heart Mantra (Grey), [Concealing Spirit Skill] (White)]
[Realm: Shedding Mortal Realm, Third Layer]
[Fortune Points: 10]
[Fortune Fragment: White Fragment +1]
---
So I did collect a White Fragment as well.
After seeing this, Wen Zhixing understood. That made sense.
Ten Fortune Points! Never mind anything else, time to allocate them. Calming Heart Mantra, upgrade!
All 10 Fortune Points were allocated to the Calming Heart Mantra.
[You have spent 10 Fortune Points. The Calming Heart Mantra (Grey) is upgrading.]
[Upgrade complete! You have obtained the secret skill: Clear Heart Incantation!]
[Clear Heart Incantation: White Quality. This is a technique dedicated to cultivating one's mental state. Practitioners focus their spirit and stabilize their Qi, unifying their heart, to achieve a state of pristine mental clarity that addresses issues at their core, thereby naturally aligning with the Great Dao.]
[Consume one hundred Fortune Points to upgrade to Blue Quality.]
---
Clear Heart Incantation... Mind as clear as water, clear water itself the heart; not even a slight breeze stirs, no ripples to cause alarm... Wen Zhixing silently recited.
As soon as he activated the Clear Heart Incantation, his mind was instantly enveloped in a cool current. It felt as if all chaotic thoughts were cleansed, leaving his divine soul completely clear. He seemed to see himself amidst clouds, surrounded by a vast, white world... The sounds of birds chirping in a mountain forest echoed in his ears...
As expected of the Clear Heart Incantation! The side effects of the Wonderous Soul-devouring Pill have been completely eliminated.
After a while, Wen Zhixing experienced an unprecedented sense of relief. The heavy weight in his heart finally lifted.
I just don't know how Feng Ruoli will deal with me after this, Wen Zhixing was still somewhat unsure. It's time to have a proper talk with Senior Brother Mu from the Righteous Sun Sect.
His thoughts were a whirlwind. The desire to escape the Wonderous Palace grew stronger.
...
A day passed quickly.
"What? Wen Zhixing is gone?!"
After a day, news of Wen Zhixing's disappearance finally reached Qiu Yinger. Her eyes filled with disbelief.
Wen Zhixing escaped? How is that possible?!